Ten
With Michael Easton
Alternately cool and goofy, Michael Easton defies definition
in any conventional sense. If he had his way, he’d be holed up at least six to
eight hours a day, building universes of pissed-off, crusading, or wounded
souls looking for diamonds in creosote. Read an Easton novel, and you might wonder if
he thunders through the week with a scowl on his face, shooting off sarcastic
comments so dry they don’t drip—they evaporate. Or that the bouquet of Gothic broodiness wafts
in his wake, like the smell of Pantene after a blow-dry.
Not so much.
Described by TVGuide’s Michael Logan as a “kind, wise, old
soul”, Easton is approachable, easygoing, funny, and modest. Yeah, he really does love writing for hours on end, but he also loves his other
job, too, and enjoys both thoroughly as creative outlets that turn the topsoil
and keep things fresh. And while there’s
definite depth and blazing intelligence beneath that absolutely ridiculous mane
of hair, he’s not exactly Heathcliffy about it. He likes absurdity as much as
anyone, loves the silliness of life, and knows that laughing about it is
essential to surfacing past the other crap.
It was a real pleasure to ask him about Credence, his new novel with Blackwatch Comics, and about the parts
of him that went into parts of the pages.
One
ARD: How do you write
this sort of story? Do you meet with the artist and go through a general
discussion? Do you storyboard it out? Write it out in prose or script form and
then send it to Steven in bits? My prose-loving brain can’t wrap itself around
the logistics. It’s an extremely generous way of writing.
ME: I write a script, essentially how I see the book in words. In the end product the reader only gets the dialogue but about eighty percent of what I write is only read by the artist – creating an atmosphere that hopefully inspires the world he then draws.
Two
ME: In a heartbeat. I
am humbled by people serving in law enforcement and am particularly fond of the
officers I met in the NYPD.
Three
ARD: When I was in
college, Stephen King was a neighbor of mine. He used to guest lecture at my
university (also his alma mater), and I’d run into him at the grocery store all
the time. Scariest thing about him is how utterly, completely normal he is. And
he can write about such menace that it makes me nervous to have the book on my
nightstand.
So, I’ve never ‘met’ you, but…um, what the hell, dude?
So, I’ve never ‘met’ you, but…um, what the hell, dude?
ME: Well, there’s the
life we live with and the one we create with and those can often be two, very
different, spirits.
Four
ARD: It was hard for
me to stick with Credence sometimes;
the story is –or was for me—incredibly confrontational. I’m no shrinking
violet, but I had to really resolve to stay in my chair and move through it.
Even in the second and third go-rounds, I found myself wondering if you had
moments of, ‘Jesus, this is too much. I
need to take a second.’
ME: Not so much. If you’re going to go there you might as well go first class, one-way. I think it was effective for explaining the state of mind of Daniel Credence.
ME: Not so much. If you’re going to go there you might as well go first class, one-way. I think it was effective for explaining the state of mind of Daniel Credence.
Five
ARD: Danny Credence is a shit. I kept jotting down stuff like ‘uncomfortable
in his skin’, ‘uncomfortable with joy’, ‘uncomfortable with comfort’. He’s just
uncomfortable. He can’t sit with moments of joy or
contentment or quiet, can he? If something like that settles on him, he jumps
up and goes out to find something that creates discord. He wants to mess it up to some degree. Or am I reading him wrong and
he’s just misunderstood? I mean, he did
save the dog.
ME: Most of the
characters I tend to like or write about often have the deck stacked against
them. They’ve had bad things happen to
them, and they're often fueled by anger and regret, and you mostly expect them to
turn out bad -- yet when it comes down to choosing between right and wrong,
some small part of them pushes them to do good -- even if it means losing
everything they have…
Six
ARD:
I mentioned how Stephen King is rather the antithesis of some of the things he
writes. I’m also sticking with Credence being a shit – albeit a funny and fairly
likeable one. He’s got a raft of faults and character flaws. Which one came
from you, and why did you give it to him?
ME: Can’t tell you…
Seven
ARD:
You wrote a collection of poetry (Eighteen Straight Whiskeys), and a
script/biopic about Montgomery Clift, but no prose work, per se, correct? I’m just curious as to why.
ME: I’m pacing myself…
Eight
ARD: The idea of you
at Comic-Con tickled the hell out of me. This is an event that started as a
small, genre-geek specific weekend that has turned into mandatory-attendance
for…well, pretty much everyone. It’s not just about comic books anymore.
I know that raises the bar for small publishers—but I wonder if, in the glut of other entertainment, like Boba Fetts mingling with Arcadian slave girls on the gallery floor, or Princess Leias canoodling with Captain Kirks, comics and graphic novels kinda get lost in the mix? Or has it made the genre more marketable, more prominent because of a more widespread, diverse audience at these conventions?
I know that raises the bar for small publishers—but I wonder if, in the glut of other entertainment, like Boba Fetts mingling with Arcadian slave girls on the gallery floor, or Princess Leias canoodling with Captain Kirks, comics and graphic novels kinda get lost in the mix? Or has it made the genre more marketable, more prominent because of a more widespread, diverse audience at these conventions?
ME: It can be overwhelming and certainly it’s
become more about “popular culture” than just comic books. Occasionally you can
feel a little lost as a small comic book publisher. That being said, it’s still
the best venue to be able to meet other writers and artists and to interact
with the fans. The feedback you get from those one on one encounters and the
conventions I find invaluable.
Nine
ARD: I heard about
the urinal story at Comic-Con. What was your big geek/starstruck moment? And
please don’t tell me that was it. I’ll
be crushed.
ME: Seeing the cast of “Game of Thrones” in the
lobby of our hotel and having a brief chat with George RR Martin.
Ten
ARD: I heard tell
that Credence might be a trilogy. Is
that still in the air, or is it settling down to earth?
ME: I got one more in
me then we’ll see…
Check out a full synopsis of the book and trailer, and make your purchase here:
7 comments:
Great questions Angela! Thanks for doing this :)
Absolutely amazing! Thanks for giving us more insight.
Enlightening, Angela, thank you!
Amazing interview and photo! Thanks for this Thanksgiving week gift of more of Michael Easton the writer, actor and person! I just love all of it!
OMFG. You met ME. Kill me now.
Wow. I don't know if I should read this book. It sounds pretty hardcore. Great interview.
Oh, no, Teresa -- you should DEFINITELY read the book. Just brace yourself for it. LOL...it's not a pretty story, but it's a good one, and it's actually a fun one sometimes. But you have to pay attention. This isn't light reading by any stretch.
It's totally worth it. ;)
Cool beans!
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